Our publishing industry seems to champion just one or two black and Asian authors at a time. Lack of diversity is a real problemMonths back I was trudging through the streets of Dalston when I spotted a copy of Simi Bedford's Yoruba Girl Dancing in a charity shop window. It evoked the same emotion that stumbling into an old school friend might – part nostalgia and part wonder at the old magic. I found myself inside the store reaching for it, just as I had done years ago as a teenager. The book is a hilarious, touching read about a Nigerian girl sent to boarding school in England. Back then, it resonated with me deeply. I too had been a young Nigerian girl sent to England at the age of eight to attend boarding school in Norfolk. Its recounting of otherness in an unfamiliar land made me laugh and recall my own experiences. There was something about that dancing silhouette on the cover that seemed hopeful, unburdened somehow, and, though I'd been enamoured of the talents of Roald Dahl and Harper Lee, it was refreshing to see an author who looked like me.As I left the shop, it made me wonder: whatever happened to Simi Bedford? I know she wrote another novel, Not With Silver, but whatever happened not just to her, but to the career trajectories of other black and Asian female British authors?I admire the tenacity of writers such as Andrea Levy, who deserved to garner more attention earlier in their careers. Andrea eventually went on to have great success, but there was little... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2014-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a series to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, author Tanya Byrne says true diversity in books for young people is shamefully overdueAs a BAME author who writes BAME characters, I’m frequently asked to explain why my books are so unusual. They’re not unusual, at least I don’t... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-08-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Eimear McBride and Laura Cumming have won Britain’s oldest literary award, the James Tait Black prize, worth £10,000. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Head of Zeus has signed a new fantasy trilogy by A J Smith, author of the four-book epic fantasy saga The Long War. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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His Dark Materials novelist says today’s steep price cuts devalue authors’ work and cheapen the experience of readingWith more than two months to go before Philip Pullman’s long-awaited new novel from the world of His Dark Materials is published, pre-orders have sent La Belle Sauvage flying up... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In Canada, BookNet's check on sales shows ebooks a bit up, In the UK, a new author day is announced by London Book Fair and the US-based Writer's Digest. The post Industry Notes: Canada’s Shifts in Ebook and Print; London Book Fair Plans a Writer’s Digest Day appeared first on Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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On this episode of Represent, Aisha Harris talks to showrunner Monica Owusu-Breen about her new show Midnight, Texas, a supernatural drama based on the book series by True Blood author Charlaine Harris. But first, Brittany Luse of Gimlet’s The Nod joins the show to discuss the unapologetically... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2017-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The London Book Fair and US magazine Writer’s Digest are to launch a new conference for authors, The Writer’s Summit, which will explore new opportunities in publishing and in developing successful writing careers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Novels by Arundhati Roy, George Saunders, Sebastian Barry and Zadie Smith have been longlisted for the £50,000 Man Booker Prize 2017. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Chatto & Windus has acquired Danez Smith’s second poetry collection, Don’t Call Us Dead. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Society of Children’s Book Writers (SCBWI) and Illustrators will launch a BAME scholarship sponsored by the Bent Agency. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House is recording two editions of its Minecraft novel's audiobook - one narrated by actor Jack Black and the other by actress Samira Wiley - to reflect the fact that its protagonist is "gender neutral". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stories from award-winning writers including Jeanette Winterson, Max Porter and Sarah Perry are to feature in a new collection of ghost stories from English Heritage and September Publishing. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperFiction has promoted Chris Smith to deputy publishing director of estates. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Polarising right-wing writer Milo Yiannopoulos filed a $10 million lawsuit against a New York publishing company on Friday over a cancelled book deal. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2017-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ellie Peers has been appointed the new general secretary of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB), a trade union representing professional writers in TV, film, theatre, radio, books, poetry, animation and videogames. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pan Macmillan has signed the “exclusive” inside story of the New Zealand All Blacks. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lina Bengtsdotter's crime novel Annabelle is a hit with rights buyers. The book also has its own song by the author's sister and pop singer, Petra Brohäll. The post Rights Update: Swedish Crime Writer’s Debut Book Sells to 10 Territories appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-07-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Crime writer Helen Cadbury has passed away aged 52 following a battle with cancer. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At a time in which the British psyche is under interrogation - and a united kingdom may itself be under threat - John Higgs' cross-country pilgrimage has a certain resonance... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ingrid Persaud from Trinidad and Tobago has won 2017's Commonwealth Writers' Short Story Prize for "Sweet Sop". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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